Action of 23 November 1650 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Action of 23 November 1650
Part of the Franco-Spanish War (1635)
Date 23 November 1650 Location Off Cambrils, Catalonia, Spain Result Spanish victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of France	Spain
Commanders and leaders
Baron de Ligny (POW)	Duke of Alburquerque
Strength
4 galleons	6 galleys
Casualties and losses
4 galleons and their crews captured 500 soldiers prisoners 4 pieces of artillery taken	Minimum

The Action of 23 November 1650 was a small but important sea battle between Spain and France. It happened near a place called Cambrils in Spain. This battle was part of a bigger conflict known as the Franco-Spanish War (1635-1659).

In this fight, a small Spanish fleet of 6 galleys, led by Duke of Alburquerque, managed to capture all the ships from a French fleet of 4 galleons. The French ships were commanded by Baron de Ligny.

The Fleets

The French fleet was made up of four large ships called galleons.

• One galleon was very big, weighing 500 tons and carrying 30 cannons.
• Two other galleons weighed 300 tons each and had 20 cannons.
• The last galleon also weighed 300 tons but had 16 cannons.

In total, the French had 86 cannons on their ships. They also had 500 extra soldiers called musketeers on board.

The Spanish fleet was smaller, with only 6 galleys. Galleys are long, narrow ships often powered by oars. These 6 galleys had a total of about 30 cannons.

The Battle

The French fleet was on a mission to deliver supplies to soldiers defending a city called Tortosa. The city was under attack by Spanish forces in what was known as the Siege of Tortosa.

However, the Spanish commander, the Duke of Alburquerque, knew about the French plans. He decided to surprise the French fleet. His smaller fleet of galleys intercepted the French galleons.

Even though the Spanish had fewer ships and cannons, they won a complete victory! This was very unusual in naval history. Six galleys with only 30 cannons managed to defeat four much larger galleons with 86 cannons and many soldiers.

The Spanish captured all the French ships. They also took all the French artillery, including cannons and mortars. They seized ammunition, flags, and other equipment like over 1,000 muskets. All the supplies the French were carrying were also captured.

Aftermath

King Philip IV of Spain was very happy about this victory. He personally congratulated the Duke of Alburquerque.

A few weeks later, on December 4, 1650, the French troops defending Tortosa finally gave up. They surrendered to the Spanish forces led by the Marquis of Mortara.

See also

In Spanish: Batalla de Cambrils (1650) para niños

• Capture of the galleon Lion Couronné